At the age of fourteen, the inability to turn a cartwheel changed the direction of Deborah Hollands life. After not making the cheerleading squad in junior high school, I began playing guitar and writing songs, she says. And the rest, as they say, is history. Deborah went on to become the lead singer and songwriter of Animal Logic, a trio rounded out by Stewart Copeland of Police fame and jazz star Stanley Clarke. Their eclectic sound led to two critically acclaimed albums, worldwide touring, and appearances on David Letterman, The Tonight Show, VH-1, and MTV.
As a solo artist, Deborahs live shows have captivated audiences at Tin Angel, The Ark, The Bluebird, Eddies Attic, Schubas, the Rams Head, and many more. Her fourth solo release since her Animal Logic days, BAD GIRL ONCE (RageOn Records, 2006), has been described by reviewers as gritty, honest, funny, and heartfelt and exquisite. The album is a blend of styles as diverse as folk, rock, blues, jazz, and electronicaall strikingly unified by Deborahs voice. Roger Deitz of Sing Out! magazine says that BAD GIRL ONCE is splendid; chillingly warm and on target as anything I have heard since the first time I listened to Antonio Carlos Jobim and wondered how it is that some musicians can turn life into breathtaking art.
Deborahs third solo release, THE BOOK OF SURVIVAL (Gadfly Records, 1999), was called an album that demands repeated listening. (Dirty Linen: Folk & World Music) Roundly well-received for its memorable melodies, witty lyrics, and Hollands lovely, thoughtful voice (Sing Out!), it was played on over one hundred radio stations. Her second solo recording, THE PANIC IS ON: SONGS FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION (Gadfly Records, 1997), was an album of political songs from the 1930s which gained her a wide following among folk radio DJs and folk music fans. Dirty Linen magazine described it as an album contain[ing] songs of importance beautifully arranged and played. Prior to that, FREUDIAN SLIP (Dog and Pony Records, 1994), her first solo release, received heavy airplay on AAA, college, and public radio stations. In 1995, she was heard on the nationally syndicated radio programs Mountain Stage, The Difference with Todd Rundgren, and World Café. She also recorded duets with Jackson Browne and with Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket.
In addition to making records, Deborah scores music and writes songs for film and television, is a full-time professor of music at California State University at Los Angeles, and performs live. Add to this being a mother, and you have the makings of a hectic lifestyle, one which Deborah says has given her an idea of what a professional juggler feels like. But apparently she wouldnt change a thing. Music is as much a part of my life as breathing, she says, and it has been a whole lot more satisfying than making the cheerleading squad ever would have been.
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